ABC Kit Keenan is a contestant on season 25 of The Bachelor.
Kit Keenan is one of the women vying for Matt James’ heart on season 25 of The Bachelor, but unlike almost all contestants on the show, she isn’t exactly an unknown plucked from obscurity.
Keenan, 21, is the daughter of Cynthia Rowley, a renowned designer whose accolades include winning Designer of the Year at the American Image Awards. Keenan has followed in her footsteps and has a budding fashion career of her own.
That platform makes Keenan one of the more famous contestants to appear on The Bachelor:
1. Kit Keenan Had a Significant Social Media Following Before ‘The Bachelor’
According to Bachelor Data, Keenan had close to 40,000 followers on Instagram when she was first announced as a potential contestant back on October 6. In the months between that announcement and the January 4 premiere, she picked up thousands more.
That’s not a record amount for the franchise. A few women — including season 23 finalist Hannah Godwin — entered their night one with more Instagram followers, but Keenan is tops among the women on season 25.
What remains to be seen is if that online presence will be held against Keenan on the show. Contestants are frequently accused of not being on the show “for the right reasons.” It wouldn’t be surprised if Keenan gets accused of being on the show as a way to amass more followers on social media.
2. Keenan Launched Her Own Clothing Brand
Keenan was still a teenager when she launched KIT, a brand that, according to its website, aims to “bring the contemporary art world to a younger audience. We collaborate with artists so you can take home and wear a piece of art that might cost millions of dollars at auction.”
Products on the site, which are described by New York Times as “a mishmash of styles,” range from $80-150.
“I started with a mix of stuff and then we landed on only doing artist collaborations,” Keenan told Our Era Magazine. “That is actually because my dad is a gallerist and I saw that people my age wanted to learn about contemporary art but honestly it’s not a very accessible world. Not many people my age can afford a Richard Prince painting but they can probably afford a sweatshirt.”
3. Keenan’s Professional Future Is Still Up in the Air
Between her clothing brand and her mother’s success in the fashion industry, a career in fashion may seem like it was the plan all along, but that’s not the case.
Back when Keenan was 16, she told Teen Vogue, “I don’t think I’ll pursue fashion as a career.” At the time she wanted to pursue a film career, which she attended USC to study. But during her sophomore year at the university, she transferred to NYU due to the freedom the school gave her. Keenan’s now enrolled at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individual Study, which allows students to design unique courses.
“The individualized plan of study was the perfect program for me and at the end of the day that is what college is for,” Keenan told Our Era. “I guess that was the primary reason I transferred. I am so grateful that I went to USC for the year and a half that I did. I grew up in New York and I think that I needed to get out of my comfort zone and curate my own life there.”
4. Keenan’s One of the Youngest Contestants Ever
Keenan will turn 22 on May 20, 2021, making her one of a rare few to ever be on The Bachelor at just 21 years old.
According to Pop Sugar, she’ll be the third, joining Mackenzie Deonigi of season 19 and Cassandra Ferguson of season 18. Both were mid-season eliminations and later appeared on Bachelor in Paradise. An interesting note is that there has never been a man younger than 23 on The Bachelorette.
She won’t be the youngest by a wide margin, though. Two other contestants on season 25 of The Bachelor, Corrinne Jones and Serena Pitt, are 22.
James turned 29 in December.
5. Keenan Co-Hosts a Podcast With Her Famous Mom
Keenan is very close with her mom and the two even host a podcast together called “Ageless.”
“We explore fashion, business, wellness, and motherhood through the lens of our adventures around the world,” the show’s description reads on Apple Podcasts.
That’s probably another reason to mark down a tally in the “possibly here for the wrong reasons” column. Keenan may be facing an uphill climb when she makes her debut on The Bachelor.
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Kit Keenan, Cynthia Rowley’s Daughter: 5 Fast Facts